Trinidad and Tobago

Trinidad and Tobago are the two southern most islands of the Caribbean near the coast of Venezuela. Trinidad, the larger of the two islands offers a lot of historical sites in Port of Spain and some of the smaller surrounding towns. Tobago, the smaller of the two islands is rich in dense rain forest and beautiful coastline beaches.

Local Accommodation

Willard’s Bed and BreakfastWillard’s was a great bed and breakfast in Tunapuna which is about twenty minutes outside Port of Spain. It is walking distance to local bars, restaurants, and food markets. They offer single rooms for $75.00 and suites for $150.00. There were four of us traveling together and spent roughly $35.00 per person each night.

Bananaquit Apartments
Bananaquit was a fun place to stay in Crown Point and it was walking distance to everything! There were bars, restaurants, corner stores, fruit markets and beaches all within ten to fifteen minutes to the apartment. They offer studios from $75.00-$80.00, lofts for $95.00. We stayed in a loft with two beds and spent roughly $25.00 per person each night.

Local Cuisine

There are tons of local fruit and vegetable markets that you can get a lot of items for less than a few dollars. One of the best items some of the markets had was the fresh handmade guava juice for less than a dollar. Most of the restaurants you will find are Chinese, Middle Eastern or BBQ. Roti is the local favorite and can get it for $3.00-$5.00. Hosein’s Roti Shop in Trinidad was the best! You’ll also find a lot of street vendors with anything from burgers to gyros that are the most inexpensive.

Getting Around

One way to get around are the taxis, but they are a bit more expensive. They don’t have running meters, they have set costs depending on where you’re going. You have to be careful that they don’t over charge you, so you might have to haggle a bit. There are also maxi taxis that cost anywhere from $0.50 to $2.00 at most that will take you all over town. Local buses will take you around town for $0.30 to $2.00. If you’re taking the bus, make sure you’re not in a hurry because they’re never on time, but they are the most cost effective way to get around town. In Tobago, locals get around by waiting at the bus stops while people stop by and pick them up. Renting a car is the best way to see Tobago. It can be a bit intimidating if you haven’t driven abroad before, but is the best way to see the island.

Getting between the islands is relatively easy and inexpensive. You can either take the fast ferry or a quick plane ride to either island. The T&T Inter-Island Ferry takes about three hours to get to either island, depending on the sea conditions. It leaves the dock out of Port of Spain/Scarbrough multiple times a day and costs $8.00 for a one way ticket. I would recommend getting to the dock early since a lot of locals take it to and from work daily. If you’re looking for shorter travel time, Caribbean Airlines offers multiple flights to either island for $25.00 one way. It’s a quick ten minute flight from the time you take off until the time you land.

Scuba Diving

If you’re looking to scuba dive or snorkel while in Tobago, go with Undersea Tobago. They dive the Caribbean Coast, South Coast and Speyside. There are over 20 different dive sites both shallow reefs and deep wrecks for those advanced divers. They offer guided dives as well as PADI instruction. Their boat and rental equipment is very well maintained and in great condition. Derek and his staff are very friendly and helpful. The dive shop is located at the Coco Reef Resort in Crown Point on the resort’s beach.

When To Go

April through December. Their rainy season is from June to November and their dry season from December to May. The high season is February and March just in time for Carnival. The slower seasons are October to December and April to June.